Desert Shades
by KirokoTheBlackKitsune
Summary: Yugi and the Pharaoh are plagued by strange dreams. In an attempt to understand them, they go to Egypt. There the meet up with Imena, a young mediator, willing to help them solve the mystery. But will they find that they are not just dealing with ghosts,
1. Dreams

_"Son...Help!"_

Yugi sat up in bed with a jolt. He was shaking all over, and cold was sweat running down his back. He breathed great gulps of air, trying to catch his breath. He felt like he had just run a very long way. But he had been running. Running fast and running far. Everything had been dark around him. Everything, except for the path he had been running on. That had glowed with an eerie grey light, like mist under the moon. Yugi knew it was just a dream, but even though it seemed simple, he was terrified. He didn't know whether he had been chasing after something or if he had been the one being chased. Then, that voice. That desperate voice, had called from the dark. Then he had woken up.

Yugi shook his head. _Weird,_ he thought. I _don't even remember my dad, why would I dream about him now? Who else would call me 'son'? Grandpa doesn't even do that. _The action of moving his head brought his eyes around to the sight of his Yami. The Pharaoh was staring out the window with a stricken look on his transparent face. A thought occurred to Yugi.

"Was that my dream or yours?" He asked the translucent figure standing in the patch of moonlight. The Pharaoh appeared not to hear him, but when Yugi opened his mouth to ask again, the Pharaoh answered.

"I don't know Yugi...but I do not usually dream. In fact, the only dreams I remember experiencing have been yours." Yugi did not look entirely happy about this as his Yami continued. "However, I feel as though I have seen that path before."

"Really?" asked Yugi. "Do you have any idea where?"

"I...can't...remember," said the Pharaoh. He said it slowly, almost to himself.

"Oh," said Yugi, as he stifled a yawn. The luminescent clock by his bed said that it was 1:00 am, a time for all young duelists of diminutive size to be asleep. A small smile crept into the Pharaoh's eyes.

"Go back to sleep Yugi," he said. The boy needed no further urging. Sleep was not an option for the Pharaoh, spirits don't sleep. Even if he had the luxury of sleep, it wouldn't have been of any use to him now. That path wasn't the only thing that seemed familiar. So was the voice that had called out to him.

One Week Later

"You alright Yug?" asked Joey as they waited for Tea outside her house. Yugi was up to three yawns per minute and not only was it noticeable, it was getting annoying.

"Yeah, just haven't been getting much sleep lately." The dream had been coming back almost every night and all that running was taking its toll on him.

"How come?" asked Tea as she stepped out her front door. Yugi explained the dream to them as they walked to Burger World.

"Hey," said Joey as they waited for the light to change. "I know a short cut that will get us there even faster. Come on!" When the walk sign came on, Tea and Yugi had to hurry to keep up with Joey as he practically ran across the street.

"Trust Joey to find a faster way to food," Tea muttered as they went. Their pace slowed as they entered a narrow alley way.

"Are you sure about this Joey?" Yugi asked quietly, trying to think of wide, open spaces.

"Oh yeah," answered Joey. "I come through here all the time. Just look out for falling objects." Tea and Yugi simultaneously looked up. When their eyes came down again, Yugi spotted a middle-aged woman standing against the wall of an old brick building.

"You look troubled, young man," she said as he drew near her. "Shadows are stalking you."

"Excuse me?" said Yugi, wondering if this woman was crazy.

"Nightmares haunt your sleep." Now Yugi stopped, starring at her from a safe distance. Joey and Tea also stopped walking.

"You can tell that just by looking at me?" Yugi questioned. The woman cackled a little, then stood up strait.

"It's written on your face, boy. Come closer and I shall tell you more." When Yugi took a step toward her, Tea interrupted.

"Yugi, be careful. The last time something like this happened, Bandit Keith stole your puzzle, remember? Let's just go." However, Yugi wasn't listening. He wanted to know what this dream he and the Pharaoh were experiencing meant. So, he walked up to the woman. She peered into his eyes, and then gripped his wrists to study his palms. After a minute she spoke.

"Well Pharaoh, it's been awhile since I've been in the company of a spirit of such prestige." At this point, the Pharaoh took control of things.

"Can you tell me what my dreams mean?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "But, I do know someone who can..."


	2. Imena

**Kiroko: Wohoo! A big warm thank you goes out to Keeper of the Times for my first review that was not from a friend. Keeper, you made my day. Thanks also to OreoozNmiLk. Hey everybody, sorry if the opening chapter was a little weak; it's going to take me a while to build up to the good parts.**

**Chapter Two: Imena**

"Are you sure about this, Yugi?" Tea asked as she gave her friend a hug good bye. The entire gang was at the airport to see Yugi off on his flight to Egypt.

"Pretty sure," Yugi answered. "I really need to get some sleep and the Pharaoh and I both need answers. This is the only lead we have. Besides, we've been planning on going to Egypt at some point anyway."

"Yeah," said Joey with a worried expression on his face. "But you're going off to meet somebody thousands of miles away on the word of some crazy lady we met on the street."

"The Pharaoh trusts her, so I do too," was all Yugi had time to say before his flight was called over the intercom. "See you around." Yugi hurried off up the boarding ramp. On the plane, Yugi pulled out a small pillow and closed his eyes. He was asleep almost immediately. And as soon as sleep claimed him, so did the dream.

"_Son...Help me,"_ came the voice out of the darkness. This time Yugi didn't wake up at the sound of it. Something was beginning to appear at the end of the path. It looked like a spot of flickering flames. All Yugi could do was keep running towards it. The flames began to take shape. Just when Yugi could see that the flames formed an archway, he woke up. The plane was in the air and he had completely missed the safety video.

"Any idea what all that was about?" he asked the Pharaoh.

"Hmm..." the Pharaoh mused. "A doorway made of fire... All I can say is that it sounds familiar, but again I can't place it."

"Well," Yugi sighed, "So much for getting any real sleep on the plane."

The plane touched down in Cairo** (A.N.: Capital of Egypt, if you didn't already know. It's near the Great Pyramids of Giza.) **at about 5:00 am the next morning. Yugi got is bags at the baggage claim and began to wander around near the airport door. The woman in the alley had said that the person he had been sent to meet would pick him up at the airport. However, she had been rather vague as to who exactly this person was. Yugi was starting to get worried, and he seemed to be drawing stares for some reason.

"Yugi Motou?" asked a voice from directly behind him. Yugi whorled around and came face to face with girl about his age. Well, not really face to face, she was about a foot taller than him. She stared at him with tawny colored eyes that glowed like cats eyes in a dark skinned face. Her brown-black hair fell lose almost to her waist, except for a few slim braids mixed in.

"Yes," said Yugi hesitantly. The girl smiled a smile that was slightly too big for her face and extended a hand for him to shake. Upon shaking it, Yugi found that she had a very firm grip.

"I thought so," she said. "My aunt told me that the hair would be noticeable. Oh, sorry. My name is Imena. My aunt told me that you were coming with a dream problem. Oh and where are my manners." She bowed in to him, eyes looking over his right shoulder. Yugi turned his head and saw that the Pharaoh was floating there, staring at the girl with a surprised look on his face. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."

"Wait, wait, wait," stuttered Yugi. "You can actually see him?"

"Of course," she replied as she straitened back upright. She took in both of the uncomprehending looks that were being cast her way. "Didn't my aunt tell you what I am?" Yugi was starting to get a little exasperated. He was running on lack of sleep, after all.

"I was told, by some crazy lady in a back alley, that if I came to Egypt somebody would meet me who could help me to get rid of the dreams I've been having. That's all I know."

"Trust Auntie to not give the necessary information," Imena sighed. "You'll have to forgive her. She had a nasty run in with a poltergeist and was never the same. As for me, I'm a mediator."

"A what?" asked Yugi. He was having a bit of trouble keeping up with this girl's way of talking. She seemed to jump from topic to topic without much connection.

"A mediator. I talk to ghosts and, if possible, I help them move on to the Afterlife."

"Okay," said Yugi uncertainly. This was starting to get very creepy. At the phrase 'move on to the afterlife' the Pharaoh had retreated to his soul room. Imena seemed to notice.

"I assume your not here to exorcise the Pharaoh's ghost, since all you would have to do is take off that necklace and smash it." She said this in such a plain, matter-of-fact way that Yugi took a step back in surprise. The idea of simply tossing the Pharaoh aside shook him to the bone. Or maybe that was the Pharaoh shaking, as he seemed to be curled up in a ball in a dark corner. Then again, it might have just been Yugi.

"No, no." Yugi said hurriedly. "That's not what I'm here for."

"Good," said Imena cheerfully. "Come on, let's go get something to eat and then you can tell me what the problem is." She led them over to a small restaurant. They ordered their food at the counter then went and sat down. Between bites, Yugi explained about the dreams. After he had finished, Imena leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed, obviously thinking.

"No doubt about it," she said finally. "That's the path to the Afterlife. However...interesting."

"What's interesting?" asked Yugi.

"Are you sure there is nobody with you on the path?" Imena asked instead of answering.

"Yes," said Yugi. He was fairly sure, at least.

"How odd"

"What's odd?" Yugi asked, this time with a note of exasperation in his voice. Imena's cat like eyes snapped down from where they had been starring at the ceiling to look at Yugi's face.

"When a person dies, the god Horus usually appears to guide the soul to the Hall of Judgment. That you are walking the path alone could be due to one of two things. One would be that you, Yugi, as the host body, have not died yet. Or it could be because the Pharaoh died a long time ago. Now, who do you believe is the one calling to you?"

"I believe it is my father," said the Pharaoh, taking control.

"Then that gives us a third option. Perhaps your father's spirit is summoning you to the realm of the dead."

"Why would he do that?" asked the Pharaoh, looking more and more confused.

"He may be in need of assistance," Imena said in that same, matter-of-fact tone. The Pharaoh got a look on his face like he was listening to something. Then he said:

"Yugi wants to know what the fire in the distance is. So do I, for that matter."

"You really don't remember anything about your past, due you Pharaoh. The fire you see is the First Gate. Ring any bells?"

"No," said the Pharaoh shortly. Imena sighed.

"The path to the Hall of Judgment is guarded by two doorways. One is made of fire and the other is made of cobras. Once in the Hall the dead person's heart is weighed by the god Anubis. On side of the scale is the heart; on the other is the feather of maat. If the heart weighs the same as the feather the soul may pass into the Afterlife. If the heart does not weigh the same then the soul is devoured by the eater of the dead." The Pharaoh was replaced by Yugi, who gulped visibly.

"The eater of the dead?" he asked shakily.

"Yes, a monster called Amut. It is part crocodile, part hippo and part lion," Imena wasn't looking at him again. She was just starring off into space.

"So what do we do to stop the dreams?" asked Yugi, trying to change the subject. Imena looked at him again.

"The spirit of the Pharaoh's father is obviously restless. Our first task should be to try and communicate with it."

"Is this going to be like a séance? Like the one's they have on TV?" Yugi asked, getting up to follow Imena as she started walking away.

"No," said Imena quickly. She even looked a little insulted. "Our first stop is the library."

**So what did you think? In case you can't tell, I'm obsessed with Egyptian Mythology. It's one reason I like Yu-Gi-Oh so much. Another reason is Kaiba. He's not in this story. (sob ) And I'm going to try not to put any romance in this story. I...must...resist. Anyway, hope you liked it. Next chapter: Can Imena succeed in contacting the Pharaoh's father?**


	3. The Thirsty Dead

**Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh**

**Chapter 3: The Thirsty Dead**

"So what exactly are we doing here?" Yugi asked, gazing around at the rows upon rows of books that filled the Cairo Library.

"I assume that since the Pharaoh has no memory of his past, he does not remember who his father was," Imena stated, walking briskly past the shelves. Yugi nodded mutely.

"So, we are here to find out who his father was." Imena strode up to the librarians desk. The librarian, a short dark man, peered at her severely over small reading glasses. "I need the Old Kingdom Timeline, please." The librarian nodded, stood up silently, and went walking off through the books. A few minutes later found Imena and Yugi seated at a large table, pouring over a thick brown volume.

"What are you looking for?" Yugi asked peering over her shoulder as Imena flipped pages at rapid speed.

"I'm looking for the names of pharaoh's that ruled around the time of the Shadow Games."

"You know about Shadow Games?" Yugi realized he was asking a lot of questions, but he couldn't help it. He had thought that only those possessing Millennium Items knew about Shadow Games.

"Of course. I _am_ a mediator, remember." Imena seemed to think that this answered his question. "Ah, here the period I was looking for." She read from the book. "_Several tombs have been found dating back to this time period, which was known for the many myths of bizarre magic said to have been used by the priests. Most of the tombs are so damaged that the mummies they enfold have gone unnamed. In fact, there are only two tombs whose occupant's names are known. The older of the two tombs was the burial place of Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen..."_ Yugi reeled as a shock ran through the Pharaoh. Imena noticed and looked at him. Yugi nodded vigorously because it took him a minute to find his voice. Finally he rasped out:

"He's the one were looking for. That's the Pharaoh's father. Keep reading." Imena did as he asked.

"_The second tomb belonged to Akhenamkhanen's son..."_ Imena slammed the book shut.

"Why did you stop?" The Pharaoh cried. "I could have learned my name!" He was silenced then by the small librarian, who told them that if they were going to be loud they would have to leave.

Sitting on the steps outside the library, Imena refused to look at him. The Pharaoh was some what calmer know, and was trying to catch her gaze.

"I'm sorry," she said finally, though she still didn't look at him. Instead she focused on some point down the street. "Your name is not something you should learn from a book. You have to remember it on your own." They sat in silence for a few moments more. Then Imena stood up and started walking down the street. The Pharaoh rose and followed her.

"Where are we going now?" he asked, falling in step beside her. She turned to him and grinned.

"I don't suppose you remember how to ride a camel?"

The Pharaoh tried to lean casually against a wooden post. Imena stood a short distance away, arguing animatedly with the owner of a camel train. There was much waving of arms and a few exclamations which the Pharaoh thought must be swear words. He wasn't sure, since his knowledge of Egyptian seemed to have faded with the rest of his memory. _Then again,_ he thought. _The language might have changed in five thousand years._

Imena finally walked over to him, leading two camels and grumbling to herself.

"What's wrong?" the Pharaoh asked, taking hold of the tether of one of the camels.

"That guy insisted on knowing where we would be taking the camels. When I told him, he tripled the price. I told him that since it was risky I would pay double and not put a curse on his family. Swindler." The Pharaoh was slightly shocked at this statement and couldn't help but wonder who the real swindler was.

"Where are we going again?" The Pharaoh asked. (**A.N. Yes I know he asks that a lot, but Imena is not terribly informative.**)

"To a dead tree in the middle of the desert. Now, first you want to calmly stroke the camel's nose and let him get to know you..."

Sunset found Imena and Yugi moving quickly across the Egyptian sands. It had taken a good amount of time for Yugi to get the hang of camel riding, but soon he was able to keep up with Imena's native skill.

"Why couldn't you have just summoned the Pharaoh's father," Yugi asked, moving his camel alongside Imena's.

"First of all," she said. "The Pharaoh's father is not on this plane, he is in the Afterlife. Had he been on this plane, it would not have been wise to simply summon him under the name of "the Pharaoh's father."

"Why not?"

"If you make the summons too general, multiple spirits will come and they will overwhelm you. It is not a pleasant experience and it can be deadly. Look, we are almost there." Imena pointed to a sandy ridge from which a tree that was little more than a withered branch poked from the ground. The sun was now almost completely set, only a thin arch of orange remained above the horizon. At about one hundred yards from the tree, Imena pulled her camel in front of Yugi's, forcing him to stop.

"Pharaoh," she said, though Yugi was the one currently in control of the body. Yugi shivered at the deathly serious tone in her voice. "Here I must ask you to, for the safety and sanity of your lighter side, to take control." The Pharaoh did as she asked.

As the two of them dismounted from the camels, the sun set, and in the fresh twilight, they walked toward the tree. At first the Pharaoh thought it was just his imagination, but then he realized that he really was seeing pearly white shapes moving around the tree. Now he knew why Imena had requested that Yugi no see this. _Stay in your soul room, Hikari,_ the Pharaoh told Yugi. _Don't look._

As they drew nearer, the forms of the ghost became more clearly defined. The Pharaoh shivered. Every one of these spirits was as gaunt and withered as the tree. Trying to look at something different, the Pharaoh looked more intently at the tree. Close up, he could see that there were tatters of cloth hanging from it. For some reason, this sight was just as disturbing as the ghosts, whose pale, hollow eyes were gazeing at him hungrily. Finally Imena stopped walking.

"What are they?" the Pharaoh asked her.

"They are called the Thirsty Dead," she explained. "When they were alive they got lost in the desert and, driven mad by thirst, they wandered to this tree, hopping to find water at its roots. When they found that there was no water, they tied whatever cloth they had to the tree in hopes that someone would find them. Nobody ever comes out here."

"So why have we come here?" As he spoke, one of the thirsty dead came a little too close for comfort. Imena passed a hand through it. It disappeared for a moment, and then reformed a few feet away. The Pharaoh thought he heard a hiss on the air that did not come from the wind. Imena continued her explanation.

"With ghosts, there is always something which ties them to the living plane. Once they achieve that, they will go on to the Hall of Judgment. With the thirsty dead, what they want is simple: water. They died wanting it and they want it still. When one of them passes into the next world, we will be able to follow." Yugi shook his head. It all made sense now.

From behind her back, Imena drew a bottle of water. Instantly, they completely caged in by the pale white specters. Touches that felt like whispers brushed against the Pharaoh's arms. Once again Imena waved her hand. The ghost scattered like dandelion seeds in the wind. Then they reformed in a wider circle around the two who were alive. Imena beckoned to the one that had gotten too close the first time. Now the Pharaoh could see that it was the ghost of a young boy and, though with his lost memory he was no expert, the clothing the boy wore definitely seemed to come from an earlier time period. A vague stirring in the back of his mind told him that this boy had probably died during the ancient days, possibly even during his own reign.

The little boy wasn't looking at the Pharaoh now. He was starring avidly at Imena, or more accurately, the bottle of water that she held in her hand. Imena carefully unscrewed the cap on the bottle, eyes flicking around the circle of ghosts in case one should move so much as an inch closer. She then bent down to look the boy directly in his transparent eyes.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Ranofer," said a quiet voice.

"Be at peace, Ranofer." Imena held the bottle to the boys cracked lips and tipped the liquid down his throat. At first the water ran right through him, splashing on the sand. Then the splashing stopped and the water seemed to be filling Ranofer up. The boy was soon filled with a sparkling clarity that was more than what the water bottle had held. There was a bright flash, and before Imena and the Pharaoh stood a hale, healthy little boy. He smiled radiantly at them, and then began to slowly fade away. Imena grabbed the Pharaoh's hand, grasping at the boy's arm with her other hand. The three of them faded into the twilight.

**So, what do you think? Sorry it took me so long to update, I've probably lost all my adoring fans (not that I had many to begin with). The superstition of the thirsty dead is actually a Pakistani (did I spell that right) belief. I found it in the book Shabinu, Daughter of the Wind. I changed a few things. I don't know if Egyptians believe the same thing. **

**On another note-popcorn with cinnamon is really good. Please review, I love your comments. Even flames are welcome, I like fire.**

**Question: What would you think if I put in a romance between Imena and the god Anubis (the real god, not the idiotic knock-off they made for Yu-Gi-Oh the Movie.) I'm finding it hard not to put a romance in, so give me suggestions for pairings.**


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